“This awful catastrophe is not the end but the beginning. History does not end so. It is the way its chapters open.”
Saint Augustine.
Greetings to All!
Doesn’t it feel like too many huge issues are simultaneously colliding? It’s August, it’s back to school time, yet the pandemic rages on and schools may not be where our children actually, physically go. So… remote learning? Students will go back to school online, from their homes? What about the families who don’t have reliable Internet access, or any Internet access?
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 14% of children ages 3-18 don’t have Internet access at home. That’s more than 9 million school children! Racial minorities, those who live in rural areas, and families with lower levels of education and income are more likely to not have the connectivity that’s essential for schooling online.
This Buzz provides you with new resources across each of these issues as they collide and entangle: COVID-19, back-to-school worries, and how we address racial inequity in our communities and nation. Challenging times, these.
Take good care,
The CPIR Team | Debra, Debi, Lisa, Sitara, and Myriam
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Back to School
Planning for Equity and Inclusion: A Guide to Reopening Schools
COVID-19 has changed public education in dramatic ways, and the 2020–2021 school year is posing even more challenges. This short guide shares specific ways school and district leaders can prioritize equity and inclusion as they rethink their approach to public education in the COVID-19 world.
Building Engagement with Distance Learning
This resource is part of an ongoing series produced by the OSEP-funded TIES Center. It provides a framework for supporting all students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities. The series explores important considerations in providing distance learning, such as daily meetings, behavioral supports, individualizing supports for students, data collection, and embedding instruction at home.
A Guide to Equity in Remote Learning
This guide emerges from the ongoing webinar series Advancing Equity in an Era of Crisis, a collaborative effort of several professional organizations in California (e.g., California Association of African-American Superintendents and Administrators). The 63-page guide examines how California can equitably meet the needs of all students when it resumes instruction in the 2020-21 school year, whether in classrooms, remotely, or a hybrid of both. Much food for thought here, even if California isn’t where you live.
Dealing with the Pandemic
Testing for COVID-19: What’s Your State’s Plan?
The Department of Health and Human Services has posted the COVID testing plans (July through December) from all states, territories, and localities. The plans include details on responding to surges in cases and reaching vulnerable populations.
Addressing Our Racial Strife
Talking to Very Young Children about Race
This 4-page resource is subtitled “It’s necessary now, more than ever.” Why? Because children see injustices on the news, at the store, on the playground, and in their classrooms. It is important for adults to explain to them what is going on in a way that makes sense based on their developmental level. These conversations need to become a pattern during the early childhood years and not a single event. Excellent, subtle suggestions are given. From the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations.
Anti-Racism Resource Directory for Families: Resources for Multiple Grade Levels
Parents may not know where to start with discussions of race, racial justice, and anti-racism with their children. Or perhaps they’ve already had family conversations and are looking to continue the discussion or explore action. This Learning Heroes directory assists families as they navigate the many free resources that are available.
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Publication of this eNewsletter is made possible through Cooperative Agreement H328R180005 between OSEP and the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government or by the Center for Parent Information and Resources.